Prepare your taste buds for a burst of flavour with these crispy mashed potatoes topped with a tangy, herby chimichurri sauce!
The result of this recipe is a perfect balance between texture and taste, making it a hit with any meal.
Imagine crisp, golden potatoes with a tender center, enhanced by the fresh, tangy taste of chimichurri.
We guarantee that once you try these potatoes, you’ll never want to settle for just boiled potatoes again.
Here’s how to make this crispy potatoes and chimichurri sauce recipe, step by step.
And don’t worry, the longest part is cooking the potatoes!
How to prepare crispy smashed potatoes
Smashed potatoes are made from boiled potatoes.
Once cooked, they are gently crushed with a potato masher or fork until they are flattened but still intact.
This allows the potatoes to have a larger exposed surface area to brown while keeping the interior tender.
Brush them with olive oil and season them before roasting them in the oven until they are golden and crispy.
You won’t even need to turn them during cooking.
Once removed from the oven, transfer the potatoes to a serving dish and top with a little chimichurri.
Serve immediately with a bowl of chimichurri for those who would like to add some more.
Pro tips for successful smashed potatoes:
- To achieve the perfect crispy texture, make sure the potatoes are spaced out on the baking sheet and not touching each other. This will allow them to cook evenly and get maximum crispness.
- The more you crushed the potatoes, the more golden surface and therefore crispness there will be.
- Make sure your oven is hot, at 420°F.
Which potato variety to choose?
Small potatoes are ideal for this recipe.
They are quick to cook, allow for more even cooking in the oven, and crush well. No need to peel them either!
For an original touch, don’t hesitate to use different colored potatoes.
You could also use yellow, red or russet potatoes, cut into the same size pieces.
You may also like: Roasted Potatoes with Herbs and Garlic
The chimichurri sauce
The star of this recipe is the chimichurri sauce!
Ideal to pass the parsley surplus, this is a fresh, richly flavored sauce that enhances any grilled meat or fish.
Garlic, fine herbs, a shallot, a little red wine vinegar or lemon juice and you’re done.
Inspired by the chimichurri sauce recipe found on Josée di Stasio’s website, we use a mixture of red wine and lemon juice in this version and add dried oregano.
Feel free to add other herbs to your chimichurri (coriander, thyme, etc.) as you wish.
Just be sure to keep the proportions with the other ingredients.
To prepare the sauce, start by chopping the herbs, garlic and shallot to the desired size before adding the liquids and mixing well.
Using a food processor, this recipe can be done in minutes.
The recipe here makes 1 cup of sauce, so you can use the extra sauce to accompany grilled beef, pork chops, fish, grilled shrimp or vegetables.
Recommended equipment
Crispy smashed potatoes and chimichurri sauce
Crisp, tender potatoes with chimichurri sauce. A feast for the taste buds!
Ingredients
- 15- 20 baby potatoes
- Olive oil (for cooking)
- Salt (to taste)
Chimichurri sauce
- 1 cup parsley leaves (well tapped) without stems
- ⅓ cup of olive oil
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp. salt (or more to taste)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (to taste)
- ½ cup chopped French shallot
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420°F
- In a pot filled with water, add the potatoes and salt the water.
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Using a potato masher or fork, mash each potato. It's okay if the shapes don't match or if pieces fall off. Leave some space between the potatoes.
- Brush the potatoes with olive oil and add a little salt. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown.
Chimichurri sauce
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, chop parsley, French shallot and garlic to desired consistency.
- Add wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, hot pepper flakes and olive oil and blend well.
Just before serving, drizzle a small amount of chimichurri over the potatoes.
